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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28336821">The Voice Inside Your Head</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard'>startrekkingaroundasgard</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>31 Days of Ficmas 2020 [26]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Dark, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Hypnotism, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Possessive Behavior, Rape/Non-con Elements, Telepathy, The Master Has Issues (Doctor Who), held captive, prisoner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:01:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,938</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28336821</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Master holds the reader prisoner in their own mind and forces them to share a festive meal with him. Every time the reader tries to escape, he wipes their thoughts.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>The Master (Dhawan)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>31 Days of Ficmas 2020 [26]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035468</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Voice Inside Your Head</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A sort of sequel to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26714800">Watching You From Afar </a> but it can be read alone. Please read the warnings.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
Colourful paper chains hung from the ceiling in swooping arches
overhead. The bright strips of paper were adorned with smiling
reindeer and fat, jolly men caught mid laugh. You wondered who they
were laughing at. A string of fairy lights around the TV illuminated
the room with a gentle warmth, the slow changes from red and green to
yellow and blue almost hypnotic. 
</p>
<p>
A neat stack of presents sat beside the door, each perfectly wrapped
and tied with a matching ribbon bow. They varied in size. Some were
small and would fit in your hands. Others were larger but one in
particular was much bigger than the rest. It stood as tall as you, if
not even higher, and hadn’t been wrapped – probably best for the
environment; that much wrapping paper would be such a waste. No,
instead it was covered by a deep, purple cloth and the velvet fabric
looked so rich, so soft, that you wanted nothing more than to hide
beneath it too.</p>
<p>
A fire blazed in the corner, the flames bright, erratic as if trying
to escape from the very coal which fuelled them. It was easy to lose
yourself in the dancing embers as they drifted back down, the natural
chaos and danger of the system strangely beautiful. The fire crackled
gently and the sharp, sudden pops had you jumping in your seat but
your muscles remained pliant, relaxed as the warmth rolled over your
body.</p>
<p>
You sank into the soft cushions and closed your eyes. From nearby,
the rich smells of a freshly cooked festive meal drifted in, tempting
and utterly mouth watering. You hadn’t had a meal like that in…
You could hardly remember, it had been that long. Travelling with The
Doctor was amazing but you often found yourself skipping meals in
favour of running for your life. 
</p>
<p>
  <i>Forget The Doctor.</i>
</p>
<p>    “Comfortable, love?”</p>
<p>
You nodded, smiling up at The
Master. You never wanted for anything when he was around. He treated
you like royalty. Life with
him was so much better than you had ever had it. He cared for you,
kept you safe from the worries and the annoying, independent thoughts
of freedom and morality that so often plagued you. 
</p>
<p>
The
sofa slumped as he landed beside you, his hand finding yours. “What
are you thinking about?”</p>
<p>
	

    

“I… I can’t remember. Can’t have been important.”</p>
<p>
He hummed, clearly content with your
answer. The Master rubbed
circles over your knuckles and you listened enraptured as he spun a
tale of murder and revolt, a twisted Christmas tale you wished you
had never heard. 
</p>
<p>
Suddenly cutting himself off, apparently bored of his own successful
coup against the benevolent leader of a galaxy wide empire, The
Master grabbed a small box from the tower of presents and dropped it
into your hands. “Open it.”</p>
<p>
You carefully removed the tape and
unfolded the paper. The box was black, pure and empty, and inside,
atop of more purple velvet, sat a pair of handcuffs. He sat back in
the puffy cushions and watched your reaction carefully. <i>You
love them, </i><i>don’t you?</i></p>
<p>
Exclaiming
a joy which you certainly
hadn’t felt a moment ago, your
eyes went
wide at the thought of being
chained up and at his mercy. But
the voice in your mind whispered that you could trust him, that he
wouldn’t hurt you unless you asked. It didn’t placate your fears,
though. It only brought them back to the forefront of your mind.
“Thank you, Master.”</p>
<p>
He grinned wickedly, his fingers
circling your inner wrist. The gentle touch was far from threatening
and yet you couldn’t shake the panic building in your chest.
“Patience, dear. We can
play after dinner.”</p>
<p>
	

    

“Can
I choose another?”</p>
<p>
The
Master shrugged, benevolent and giving. “Go ahead.”</p>
<p>
You stared at the pile of presents that obscured the exit, eyes
roaming across the wide choice. Your attention drifted to the one in
the corner, the biggest one with the purple covering but it was
fuzzy, as if you couldn’t quite get a hold on its existence. Trying
too hard made your head hurt and when you looked away suddenly you
couldn’t quite recall what had been holding your attention so hard
anyway. 
</p>
<p>
A small box wrapped in shiny paper
called to you, the same whispering tone that now filled every moment
of silence in your mind. His voice. Your Master’s. No.
Yes. Was he <i>your</i>
master or simply The Master? Did the distinction matter at all now
that he everyone else had abandoned you? He cared, the voice reminded
you. He cared in a way that no one else could match. 
</p>
<p>
And yet, as you listened to their
comforting promises, your gaze drifted back to the largest box and a
deep set need arose to find out exactly what was inside. It was
important. You didn’t know why. All you knew was that it should be
ignored no longer. “I want
to open that one.”</p>
<p>
  <i>No, you don’t. You don’t care about that. </i>
</p>
<p>
The Master tilted his head to the side, an eyebrow raised. “Are you
sure?”</p>
<p>
Slowly, you shook your head. Maybe
you didn’t want to know what was inside it after all. “I…
No?”</p>
<p>
	

    

“That’s
what I thought.” The Master
cupped your cheek, gently holding you still so that he could admire
your features in the colourful fairy lights. He drew his thumb across
your cheek bone, his eyes
darkening as you winced. <i>Apologise. </i></p>
<p>
	

    

“I’m
sorry, Master. Forgive me.” The words fell easily from your lips,
even though you weren’t
certain for what you were sorry,
as you tilted your chin up, opening yourself for a kiss. His mouth
was soft against yours, a sharp contrast to the stubble that burned
your skin and the fading commands that bounced around your skull. 
</p>
<p><i>You want me</i>. <i>You
want me as much as I want you.</i> 
</p>
<p>
He swallowed your moans – your cries – and the quiet whispers
drove you to deepen the kiss even as a sick, twisted knot settled in
your stomach. The Master drew back, a wicked grin on his face that
seemed all the more natural than the friendly smile he had worn
earlier. You lifted a hand to his cheek, mirroring the way he touched
you, and shuddered fearfully as a wave of heat rolled through your
body. “I want you, Master.”</p>
<p>
	

    

“You’re
so good for me, love. Now, stay here and I’ll bring you dinner.” 
</p>
<p>
You
grew tense when he was away for long periods of time. You didn’t
like being alone with your thoughts now. They felt foreign. They were
noisy, constant screams of a mind trapped inside itself. They weren’t
pleasing, melodic like his words. They brought you only terror,
stirred your anxiety until you could hardly breathe. 
</p>
<p>
Every cell in your body buzzed,
alert with the frantic energy
of an animal trapped in a cage. Needing to move, to burn off the
excess energy, you leapt to your feet and began to pace. The room was
smaller than you realised, barely ten feet in each direction. The
walls seemed to be closing in, the ornate wreathes coming at you like
festive nooses. 
</p>
<p>
Stumbling backwards, your back hit
the largest of the Master’s gifts. You turned and stared at the
large box, hand rising of its own accord to remove the cover. You
had to know what was in there. The fabric was soft against your
trembling fingers but you
couldn’t quite obey your fingers to curl tighter and rip it away. 
</p>
<p><i>Forget about it</i>. <i>Sit
down and enjoy your meal.</i></p>
<p>
You opened your eyes and you were
waiting at the table, knife and fork in hand. Your face hurt from
smiling so hard. You glanced
between your knife and The Master, then down to the blood on your
hands. The Time Lord at your feet, bleeding out around you, escape
finally possible. 
</p>
<p>
But then he leaned around you to set
the plates on the table and the
hopeful illusion shattered. The Master
squeezed your shoulder as he pulled back, hard
enough to leave bruises.
Practically baiting you, he licked the tears from your cheek and
promised, “Let me save you from the guilt, dear. Your delicate
heart could never do it. But I love that you’d consider it. I
didn’t know you had it in you.” 
</p>
<p>
Regardless, as he stepped away, The Master plucked the cutlery from
your hands and shoved them in his pocket. “Better safe than sorry,
I suppose. Don’t want you getting any ideas. Why don’t I put some
food on your plate and see if that will bring back your beautiful
smile?”</p>
<p>
  <i>I told you to smile. </i>
</p>
<p><i>Shut up</i>. You blinked in
surprise. It had been so long since you’d heard your own voice
inside your head, it was like an alien entity. You couldn’t recall
the last time you’d had the strength of self to talk back to him.
Thankfully, your mental voice was so weak that The Master didn’t
hear but it was enough of a crack in the careful shields he had
placed to trap you inside your own head that you could see the light
on the other side. 
</p>
<p>
You suddenly recalled The Doctor.
She had mentioned psychic shielding once. She’d even tried to save
you from <i>him</i>, back
when she had still cared about you. But had she ever stopped? As you
chewed on the succulent potatoes and mindlessly smiled at the Time
Lord opposite, you wondered what had truly happened with her. 
</p>
<p>
The Master told you that she abandoned you, that she dropped you on
your doorstep alone and afraid and that he had come to pick up the
pieces. However, as you turned back your mind, you couldn’t conjure
a single moment to suggest that The Doctor did anything less than
love you to the fullest possible extent of her fragile hearts. 
</p>
<p>
After your first breakdown, she had stayed by your side, constantly
watched over you and protected you from his influence. Little had she
realised how deep into your mind he had already wormed himself, a
parasite that slowly consumed you until you were but a shell of
yourself, rife for the taking. 
</p>
<p>
Was she looking for you now? Would she find you before it was too
late? You didn’t know but the hope that her face inspired was
simply indescribable. 
</p>
<p>
 	

    

“Enjoying your meal, love?”</p>
<p>
You looked up at The Master and
nodded automatically. Gravy rolled down your arm as you picked pieces
of food from the plate with your hands, while he ate with the very
knife and fork he had taken from you. The scolding food burned your
fingertips but you felt no pain, the very notion of hurt blocked from
your mind by another of The Master’s mental walls. 
</p>
<p>
	

    

“This is nice, isn’t it? Just us, sharing a Christmas meal
together. We should do this again.”</p>
<p><i>Over my dead body</i>, you
thought. 
</p>
<p>
  <i>That could be arranged. </i>
</p>
<p>
You stiffened in your chair. The Master continued to eat as if
nothing had been said, or thought, but you knew he had sensed the
change in your demeanour. He cut his potatoes a little more harshly,
chewed the meat with a vigour that had been lacking before. Through a
mouthful of food, he said, “Don’t force me to take what I want,
love.”</p>
<p>
	

    

“What is in the box, Master?”</p>
<p>
  <i>It doesn’t matter.</i>
</p>
<p>
You dropped the half eaten potato on
the plate and frowned. It did matter. It mattered more than perhaps
anything else in the universe. “I want to see.”</p>
<p>
	

    

“You were doing so well,” he
muttered gently. The Master set the cutlery down on the plate then
strode down the length of the table. Perched on the corner, he tilted
your chin up with a single finger, a pitiful expression on his face.
“It’s been weeks since an episode like this. I thought you were
getting better. There is no box there, love. Just a pile of small
presents.”</p>
<p>
	

    

“You’re lying.”</p>
<p>
He jumped down from the table and
came up behind you. Chin on your shoulder, stubble scratching your
cheek, The Master whispered, “Look again. There is no box there.
<i>Open your eyes and look</i>.”</p>
<p>
The command was too strong to
ignore. You stared at the far wall, confused.
What were you meant to see? There was nothing there except for a few
small gifts. Tokens of
affection and adoration from your Master. You smiled to yourself. How
kind of him to treat you like this. You relaxed into the chair. A few
moments later, The Master stepped away. Everything was fine. 
</p>
<p>
You ate the rest of your dinner in
silence, focused solely on The Master as he regaled you with more
tales of adventure and excitement. When he was finished eating, you
immediately offered to clean the table of its spread. He regarded you
warmly and promised to reward your good behaviour later. The threat
left you shuddering. 
</p>
<p>
As
you moved up the length of the table, piling plates and empty dishes
on top of each other, a wave of anxiety washed over you. The air was
electrified here, buzzing with energy that left your skin tingling.
This was your chance, you realised. For what, you didn’t know but
there wasn’t going to be another one. 
</p>
<p>
Driven by motives you didn’t
understand, you spun around and grabbed
a fistful of a shiny purple
fabric you
hadn’t even realised was there
and yanked it away. Your knees buckled. Your chest grew tight as you
hit the ground. Beneath the beautiful cloak was a cage made of light.
The bars generated some kind of energy that burned your hand when you
reached up to touch it. 
</p>
<p>
The Master groaned beside you,
annoyed but not enough to leave his chair. He swung his boots onto
the table and watched as your chest heaved, ignoring every fragile
attempt to ask for his help. All he offered were insincere mental
whispers, as cold and empty as his promises to love and care for you.
<i>Get up. You’re fine. </i></p>
<p>
You stood but your body still
trembled. Your throat was tight and you could hardly think straight.
What you were seeing, it wasn’t possible. This had to be a trick
somehow. A cruel, sadistic trick. The final straw that broke your
back. Because you couldn’t be inside the light cage and outside it
at the same time. 
</p>
<p>
Your body hung limply within the
cage of light, twitching now and again but otherwise still. Bruises
marred your face, dark blotches on your cheek, neat fingerprint sized
marks lined your throat. Your
clothes were torn, the hem of your shirt caked in dry blood. You had
not submitted easily, that much was clear. The Master must have loved
that. 
</p>
<p>
Tearing your gaze away from the
cage, you stared at The Master, imploring him for answers. <i>“</i>That’s<i>…</i>
But that’s… That’s
me! How is this
possible?”</p>
<p>
	

    

“You were being uncooperative,” he shrugged. “You gave me no
choice but to trap your body in a stasis field. But it’s okay,
love. It was never your body that attracted me. It was your mind. And
here, in this psychic plane, we can be together in the most intimate
way possible. Mind to mind. Soul to soul.”</p>
<p>
He reached out to take your hand but you knocked it away. “Don’t
you dare touch me.”</p>
<p>
	

    

“Why not? You’ve always enjoyed it.”</p>
<p>
You stumbled back towards the cage,
favouring the scorching burns against your skin than to be any closer
to The Master than you had to be. The scales were falling from your
eyes now. All of the things he had done to you, the thoughts he had
planted in your head, the responses he had forced upon you. It made
you wretch. You wanted to claw your skin off, wash and scrub your
body until every cell he had ever touched was gone. 
</p>
<p>
	

    

“You can’t keep me here in this
mental prison.”</p>
<p>
	

    

“I can and I will.” 
</p>
<p>
	

    

“The Doctor will find me. She
will save me.”</p>
<p>
The Master threw his head back and
laughed, the sound like sandpaper inside your skull. “She hadn’t
managed it yet. Psychic shielding! Honestly! As if she thought that
could keep me out. Our dear Doctor is losing her touch. Face it,
love. You’re mine, now.”</p>
<p>
	

    

“Not if I remember what you’re
doing.” You scrambled towards the door. A frustrated cry filled the
silence when you found it locked. Desperate for distance from your
jailer, you stumbled to the far side of the room and wrapped your
arms around your core. “No. If I know what you’re doing to me, I
can fight you. You won’t win.”</p>
<p>
  <i>Sit back down. Forget about this. </i>
</p>
<p>
You shook your head, eyes squeezed
shut as you tried to block him from your thoughts. He was a tsunami,
though, and you were in no shape to hold back the crashing waves.
Tears streamed down your cheeks as the fight drained out of you, too
weak, too far gone to hold on to the flicker of hope that burned so
deep in your mind. 
</p>
<p>
  <i>Do as you are told. </i>
</p>
<p>
	

    

“No… I can fight you. I can… I can… I won’t forget…” 
</p>
<p><i>It’s too late. You already have</i>.
<i>Let it go. </i></p>
<p>
You opened your eyes and looked up at The Master. How had you ended
up down here? It wasn’t important, obviously. If it was, The Master
would have looked concerned. Instead, he simply smiled. He offered
his hand and you accepted it willingly, allowing him to lead you back
to the table. 
</p>
<p>
He pressed a kiss to the top of your
head and said softly, “All
better now. So, you fancy dessert, then?”</p>
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